Month: August 2015

Let me take you to THE LOFT in Amsterdam today. Right on busy Prinsengracht there is this inconspicuous white door saying “The Loft” at the very bottom. You need to ring the bell to be allowed admission. And once the door is opened for you, your stay feels even more special. THE LOFT is a project by creative director Kassandra Schreuder. With a devoting eye for detail she composes the most wonderful interior and living goods in a whole loft. Shopping here feels less like strolling through crowded shops and more like dallying over all those beautiful pieces of a hotel room but with actually being able to purchase it all. Trigger off your own comfy Sunday mood interior design flirt in Amsterdam on Prinsgengracht 583 until September 6th or with the little help of my pictures: Outside of THE LOFT, picturesque Prinsengracht is awaiting you… And because it was time for a new haircut, a rare portrait of me on this blog. Yours truly Sonntagskind Juna

The biggest stroke of luck on our roadtrip? Coming across the Sea to Sky Highway in BC, Canada. It was quite a spontaneous idea to rent a car in Vancouver and get out of the city for a day. A little aimless at first, we soon found that special road that was to reveal all the magnificent gems of British Columbia. Our first destination was Lynn Creek after realising that Grouse Mount was a rather touristy place (and not the ideal one to hike with our light sneakers). Lynn Creek, however, was full of magic: turqouise lagoons, romantic coves, venturesome cliffs and beautiful woods. Driving in the direction of Whistler, Olympic city of 2010, we watched the mountains getting higher and higher. And had an excellent meal at The Southside Diner directly by the highway: a lentil veggie burger with homemade fries for me, pulled pork poutine, a popular Canadian fast food meal, for him. Invigorated by the yummy food, we took the way back to Vancouver still passing by some impressive mountains… … until …

I was sleepless in Seattle with Meg Ryan when I was a kid. I went to see Frasier’s office quite often – via TV at least. And my favourite radio channel KEXP is based in Washington’s beauty. There are quite a few things that attracted me to come to Seattle. Yet it was not the easiest city to approach somehow. With almost intrusively open-minded (in the very best sense) Portland and a lot of peaceful nature adventures behind me on this roadtrip, Seattle was a bit of a challenge to grasp. Probably due to the lack of time I had here. Nevertheless, I saw some wonderful and surprising parts of the city. And – of course – was so unbelievably lucky with my third Airbnb apartment on this journey again. Based right in hip Capitol Hill, I used the first night of my arrival to see the sundown against Seattle’s skyline from Kerry Park. The term “park” is not exactly appropriate for this little grass verge but it is ever so popular with locals and …

With Oregon still in my woody heart, we headed south to California to visit the Redwoods. And just when I thought hills filled with pine trees couldn’t be higher and thicker than those in Oregon, we crossed the border and saw the beauty of California’s north. The destination is not always my favourite spot while roadtripping. Sometimes it is simply the road itself. Driving a tight turn and being rewarded by a new fascinating view. Let me tell you that this route was teeming with such views. After a while we turned to Highway 101, one of – if not the one – most beautiful in the whole States. Instead of a clear-blue coast, though, dense fog was expecting us and it gave our car trip a somewhat mystical atmosphere. And suddenly streets began to curve between higher and higher trees. Sunlight was shielded and it felt as though we were entering an entirely different world. Stepping out of the car, we could instantly begin numberless hiking trails through the Redwoods. And we did. Coated …

After roadtripping Oregon and some further parts of the west coast I’ll tell you more about on the blog soon, we returned back to lovely Portland. My last piece on America’s foodie, hippie and hipster city number 1 might have suggested that I had taken a great fancy to Portlandia. If not: I have honestly fallen for Portland’s dreaminess. Big time. With our new Airbnb accommodation even closer to hip Alberta Street, we strolled the area all day, enjoyed coffee at Vita Cafe just to have more iced teas afterwards so as to cool down from Oregon’s hot summer. And as luck would have it, our second stay in Portland was on a Saturday so we headed to the waterfront to discover local produce from farmers and artists at Portland Saturday Market. Back to Alberta, I started feeling a little bit at home here – not least due to great Alberta Cooperative Grocery. I think I visited that organic supermarket more often than any other place in Portland. Who can blame me, though, with their …

After our lovely kick-off in Portland we would head south to discover Oregon’s natural beauty. Crater Lake National Park was our destination for two days and I can tell you: It was beautiful beyond words! As luck would have it, it was also my birthday and so we decided to get up at 4 am in the morning and watch the sun rise behind Mount Mazama. Cuddled up in our outdoor jackets, we were observing the still surface of Crater Lake and couldn’t help but wonder once the sun bathed our surroundings in amazing colours. A little warmed up by the rays of sunlight but still shivering, we hurried back to our cute little cabin in the woods of Union Creek Resort. And after a little nap and a hot shower there was, of course, this stack of huge, fluffy pancakes awaiting us… Once the sun stood high we returned to the lake as it is particularly famous for its royal blue colour deriving from its depth and extreme clarity. After our tour around whole …